Waiting Sim or Dating Sim?
by syldenne
Summary: Chiaki feels that her new relationship with Izuru isn't going anywhere. She's ready to get out of the tutorial zone and onto the main story, but does Izuru feel the same way?
1. Chapter 1

Izuru and Chiaki had been dating for about a month. However, the two had yet to make any progress towards their new relationship. Their usual video game sessions continued as always, but the achievement for kissing, holding hands, or any other form of intimacy had yet to be cleared.

To Chiaki, it felt like they were stuck in the tutorial phase. Their lack of progression didn't bother her in the beginning, as the reality that she was Izuru's girlfriend was still setting in. After all, it's not every day that the Ultimate Hope just comes up to you and asks you out. Chiaki assumed that Izuru wasn't interested in dating given his attitude and outlook towards people. Her classmates and even her teacher had noticed that he seemed more tolerant of her than most, but Chiaki didn't take it as romantic interest.

Although Chiaki was okay with taking things slow, her mind couldn't help but be clouded with doubt. What if Izuru didn't want to progress their relationship? If that was the case, then why did he bother to ask her out? It didn't help that her long-haired boyfriend rarely exhibited any emotion and that his body language made him unapproachable. Even when he did speak occasionally, his tone was always so matter-of-fact that it came off as blunt and cold. Another person would have immediately called it quits and pursue someone else, but Chiaki wasn't that type of girl. Giving up wasn't a part of her agenda. Despite the type of person Izuru was, she genuinely enjoyed being around him. He never did anything that made her feel uncomfortable; he didn't mind listening to her ramble about video games, and although he rarely spoke, she liked how he phrased things in a semi-poetic way.

* * *

Chiaki figured that going on a date might gain them some experience however, Izuru wasn't the type to be easily impressed. That, and the fact that he wasn't much of a people person. Going out to dinner was her first choice, but the chance that Izuru might say something egotistic made her fear the possibility of them getting kicked out.

Movies were nice too, but she could see Izuru wondering why _this_ or _that_ happened when _this_ was the most logical. The last thing she wanted was to get into an argument.

Okay, so maybe going out was a bad idea. Was their entire relationship going to revolve around video games? Although Chiaki loved video games, she had to admit that even that was boring. Breaking up was one option that she didn't want to consider, but at the rate things were going, maybe it was the best choice?

* * *

After classes had ended for the day, she and Izuru stopped by the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner. Before Izuru became her roommate, Chiaki would often stop by the convenience store to get her meals as she was often too lazy or tired from staying up late to bother cooking. She liked things that were quick and easy to eat, so she would get the ones that she could just warm up in the microwave or eat right away.

Izuru wasn't much of an eater himself, which made Chiaki often worried about his well-being. He would assure her that he was fine, but she would take it upon herself to make sure he ate. In a way, they looked after each other.

The walk back to the dorms was a quiet one, which wasn't uncommon. Izuru wasn't one for conversations, which Chiaki knew, and it never bothered her. She knew that, yet why did she feel so irritated by the silence today? Did she want him to say something in particular?

No. She was just waiting for him to say the words she didn't want to hear. She was trying to prepare herself for the moment the phrase would escape his lips, but it wasn't coming. The event could trigger at any time, but she wouldn't know when it would happen. It not only scared her but irritated her as well.

"…Have I agitated you in some way?"

Chiaki snapped out her thoughts and looked over to Izuru, who was walking beside her. His eyes were focused forward and his face was expressionless as it always was.

"What makes you think that?" Chiaki asked, pretending to play dumb.

"If you do not wish to talk about it, then I will not pry any further."

Chiaki slowed down her pace, eventually coming to a stop. Izuru stopped a few feet away from her but did not turn around to face her.

"You can read people easily. You probably know what I was thinking about, right?"

Izuru didn't respond.

Chiaki's grip tightened on the small bag she was holding that contained some of the ingredients for their dinner.

"I… I think we should break up."

Instead of turning around or waiting a few seconds before giving her an answer, Izuru immediately replied.

"Very well."

The bag that Chiaki was holding fell from her hand as she stared at Izuru in bewilderment. She should have been prepared from all the dating sims she played, but video games and reality are two different things. She could feel a stinging in her chest that she desperately wished would go away. She could feel the tears start to fill her eyes, beginning to blur her vision. So many emotions were hitting her at once that she didn't know what to say or do in this situation.

Without giving Izuru so much as a single word, she turned around and began to walk away. Chiaki wasn't sure where she was going, but she just wanted to get far away. She didn't want to see his face or hear anything he had to say.

She didn't want him to see her crumble.


	2. Chapter 2

Chiaki knew it was pointless, but she couldn't help but check her cellphone every so often. A small part of her hoped to find a notification from Izuru, but there was nothing. Not even an email. She figured as much. They _did_ just break up after all. There wasn't any reason for him to contact her anymore. Still, was he even the tiniest bit worried? What if she accidentally wandered into the wrong part of town, or got dragged off by some random guys into a strange hotel?

 _Wow._

Chiaki felt disgusted at how pathetic she sounded right now. Was Izuru supposed to be her obligated bodyguard? Her knight in shining armor? If an emergency arose, Chiaki knew where to go, what to do, and what number to call. She wouldn't let herself be some damsel in distress. She played plenty of games where she had to learn how to survive and adapt on her own. If she was expecting Izuru to chase after her, or spam her with a bunch of messages, she either didn't know him very well or was with the wrong person.

She did wish that he had shown a bit more resistance when she suggested they break up. He didn't even ask her why. He just accepted it immediately, like in one of those quick-time decision events, where you only have a few seconds to pick a choice. But in this case, it didn't seem like Izuru cared which answer he picked and what the result would be.

Chiaki could feel the tears returning to her eyes. She tried to wipe them away with her hands, but they kept coming.

 _Was this all just a game to him from the beginning? Did he even like me at all?_

Chiaki could hear the people around her starting to talk. She didn't want to start crying her eyes out in public. She could always return to the dorms, but there was a chance that Izuru would be there. Of all people, he was the _last_ person she wanted to see right now.

"Nanami?" A familiar voice called out.

Chiaki moved her hands away from her face to see a familiar black uniform. When she looked up, she saw Hajime.

"Hinata-kun..."

She could tell Hajime was taken aback when he saw that she was crying.

"Are you okay? Did some guy try to mess with you?"

Chiaki shook her head and tried to calm herself down. Her face was probably a mess from crying, but better it was Hajime that saw it than someone else.

"Where's Izuru? Don't the two of you usually walk back together?" Hajime asked, wondering why she was alone.

Chiaki didn't know what expression she made at that moment, but it was enough for Hajime to get the hint that something happened. He suggested that they go somewhere to talk since there were too many people around. Chiaki agreed and followed behind him.

* * *

Hajime took Chiaki to a nearby coffeehouse, where they could talk in private. Although Chiaki didn't ask for anything, Hajime got her a small frappuccino, figuring it might help her feel better. Chiaki admitted that she was feeling a little bit better when she took a sip from the cold, sweet beverage. Unfortunately, the frappuccino didn't seem to fix the small ache in her chest. Whenever her thoughts shifted towards Izuru, that ache would become painful. Usually, status ailments had a cooldown or a remedy to remove them, but this one seemed to be permanent and incurable.

Once Chiaki had a few moments to collect herself, she explained to Hajime what happened.

"So that's why Izuru wasn't with you," Hajime said as he sat his drink down on the table. "I figured something was up."

Chiaki only nodded in response as she played with the straw in her cup.

"I guess being Izuru's girlfriend wouldn't be an easy thing. He may be perfect in that he's gifted with so many talents, but he lacks in the emotional department. Though I'm sure you already knew that when you decided to date him."

"...Yeah," Chiaki replied.

"Then you should also know that he isn't the type of guy that would lie to you, Nanami."

Chiaki looked up from her cup to Hajime.

"Sure, Izuru may not be good with emotions, but he always gives his honest opinion. Sometimes he can be a bit _too_ honest, but it's better than being lied to."

Chiaki couldn't help but smile a little at Hajime's comment. She knew too well how brutally honest Izuru could be. He never sugarcoated _anything_. Often her feelings would get hurt. Ironically, it was one of the things Chiaki liked about him.

"I'm sure you're not the only one struggling, Nanami. You're his first girlfriend. There's probably a lot of things on Izuru's mind. I know that sounds hard to believe, but if he didn't want to be with you, he would've said it by now. When Izuru gets bored with something, he's quick to drop it. There's something about you that he likes, otherwise, he would have broken up with you a long time ago."

Chiaki knew Hajime was right. If something didn't hold Izuru's interest for long, he was quick to look the other way and never turn back.

"If you're looking for the perfect relationship, Izuru's not it. I doubt the perfect relationship exists anywhere. One thing you _do_ need in relationships is trust. If you can't trust each other, then what's the point?" Hajime gently placed his hand on top of Chiaki's. "If breaking up is something you feel is best, then that's your decision. But don't leave things on a bad note. Give him a chance. I'm sure he'll listen to whatever it is you have to say."

Chiaki nodded, her mind clear. "You're right, Hinata-kun. I should have been honest with Izuru from the beginning. I shouldn't just wait to see if he picks up on my feelings. I should tell him directly." She gave Hajime a grateful smile. "Thanks for listening."

Hajime smiled back. "Anytime."

* * *

Chiaki wasn't aware of how late it was until she looked at her cellphone. Thankfully, she would make it back before curfew. Hajime offered to walk with her, but she didn't want to keep him. She needed to think about what she was going to say to Izuru when she saw him. _If_ she ever saw him again.

Would he even acknowledge her when she spoke to him? Was all the progress she built up on his social link going to be reset? Was his route now locked? Chiaki was okay with going back to being friends if it had to come to that. Nothing changed when they started going out, but the thought of never being able to speak with Izuru naturally caused the ache in her chest to react.

Chiaki came back to the area where she left Izuru. She noticed the bag that she dropped was no longer on the sidewalk. Someone probably threw it away. She wondered if anything was savable. There wasn't anything super fragile in her bag, but some of the ingredients might have gotten ruined from the impact on the ground. At that time, Chiaki was overwhelmed with so many emotions that she didn't even think about the bag. She wondered if Izuru would be upset about that.

It took her a moment to notice the lone figure standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Her eyes noticed the long hair that almost reached their feet, to their hands that were holding two bags. She noticed one of them was badly crumpled, a sign that it had been dropped.

 _Thump._

Chiaki tried to tell herself that it was probably someone else with the same length hair. Perhaps she was just seeing things! Maybe all those hours of playing video games were messing with her head!

It couldn't be him. If it was, then that meant-

 _Thump._

Once Chiaki managed to gather the courage to look at the person's face, she immediately felt her heart stop.

There Izuru stood, his gaze focused forward. He didn't seem to be looking at anything. Just staring off into the distance. He got many strange looks from the people passing by, but he didn't acknowledge them. When Chiaki came up to him, he finally reacted.

"It seems the fall did not harm the groceries."

"O-Oh…?" Chiaki didn't expect for him to speak first. She was a bit relieved that he did. "I'm glad they're okay."

"…"

"…"

The silence that followed didn't help Chiaki's nerves. She could barely bring herself to look him directly in the eye.

"Izuru, I-"

"Have you eaten yet?" Izuru asked, interrupting her.

"Umm… no," Chiaki replied. "Well, I had a drink, but it wasn't anything heavy."

"Then it would be best if we got started on dinner right away," Izuru said, beginning to walk towards the dorms.

Dinner? Wasn't he upset? Chiaki felt confused. She still needed to give him an explanation. Did Izuru wait for her just so they could eat together? Did he feel like he had to wait for her out of obligation? Would he leave after dinner? If that was the case, Chiaki would rather not eat. She would have to think of some way to buy time. More than anything, she didn't want him to leave.

"If there is something you want to discuss with me, we can talk back at the dorms. There are some things I wish to say as well. You left before I could say anything else."

"I'm sorry," Chiaki said, apologetic.

Suddenly, she felt Izuru grab hold of her hand. She jumped a little at the contact.

"Is the thought of holding hands with me that uncomfortable?" Izuru asked.

"No!" Chiaki almost shouted but managed to catch herself. "No, I don't find it uncomfortable. I was just wondering why you did it so suddenly."

"This will be the only time I do this in a public place. It is dangerous for one to be out alone. I am only making sure you do not run away again."

The way Izuru said it felt like he was just doing it out of safety. Chiaki could feel that Izuru's hand was almost as cold as ice. How long had he been waiting for her? She felt his grip slightly tighten on her hand. The way he was holding her hand before was fine. Even if Chiaki managed to let go, she was sure he would immediately grab it again. Why was he holding it so strongly?

 _Was he…worried?_


End file.
